Japanese scientists develop drug to regrow teeth

It seems losing a tooth won’t be a problem in near future as a team of scientists in Japan is on the verge of developing a drug that will regrow teeth.

The groundbreaking idea of tooth regrowth hinges on an antibody medication developed by Toregem Biopharma, a startup affiliated with Kyoto University. This drug specifically targets a protein called uterine sensitization-associated gene-1 (USAG-1), which typically inhibits tooth growth. By deactivating this protein, the drug essentially releases the brake on tooth formation, enabling new teeth to emerge naturally.

Funded by Kyoto University, Toregem Biopharma is poised to initiate clinical trials on healthy adults around July 2024 to ascertain the drug’s safety. This follows their successful cultivation of new teeth in mice back in 2018.

Typically, individuals possess “tooth buds” with the potential to develop into new teeth alongside baby and permanent teeth, though these buds often fail to mature and eventually vanish.

The research team devised an antibody medication that suppresses the protein hindering tooth growth, thereby promoting the growth of these tooth buds.

In a notable development in 2018, the team also administered the drug to ferrets, which possess both baby and permanent teeth akin to humans, resulting in the growth of new teeth.

Looking ahead, the team intends to conduct clinical trials for the drug starting in 2025, targeting children aged 2 to 6 with anodontia, a condition where individuals are born without some or all permanent teeth. These children will receive a single dose of the drug to stimulate tooth growth.